""The Watcher in the Woods" (1980) is a suspenseful, mildly intriguing spooker that may fail to capture the attention of modern audiences. Set in a small English town, the film opens with Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and Ellie (Kyle Richards) moving with their family to a dreary mansion owned by the foreboding Mrs Aylwood (Bette Davis). Right away Jan gets the feeling that there is something sinister in the woods by the house, and her fears are confirmed as a series of bizarre events beset her and Ellie--events which seem to be connected with the mysterious disappearance of Mrs Aylwood's teenaged daughter Karen some 30 years before. When Jan begins seeing things, and Ellie seems to hear things that aren't there, Jan feels she must find out the truth about what happened that night 30 years ago in the chapel."
Lackwit, Resident Scholar
"This Disney flick from the 70's stars that horribly incapable actress from Ice Castles and one of the James Bond flicks, and Bette Davis. Jan (no-talent actress) and her family move into a mansion in England while her dad does some sort of work not relative to anything other than getting him out of the picture for a while. Jan and her mom and little sister hang out at the mansion with mansion's owner (Bette Davis), a mysterious old hag who's daughter disappeared years and years ago. Weird things start to happen shortly into their stay, like Jan's visions of a blindfolded chick in mirrors crying out, "Help me!" and her little sister gets obsessed with the name "Nerak" and names her dog Nerak, writes Nerak on a window, etc. Jan finally buys a clue and notices Nerak spelled backwards is Karen, the name of old hag's missing daughter. Thus begins Jan's quest to discover what happened to Karen and why she's being haunted by the weirdo visions. Highlights in the movie, not including Jan's horrible acting ("We have to save Karen!"), are the mysterious laser bolt that fries the family station wagon, the part where kid sister gets possessed by the creature from another demension, the exploding dirt bike fiasco, and Bette Davis poking Jan with a big stick. This movie, while next to impossible to take seriously, is great fun."
sayruh, Resident Scholar
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Overall Review
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dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 55% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
**Fantasy or Science Fiction?**
- fantasy story on present day Earth
Horror film?
Yes
Kind of Horror Story
- why do we stay in the haunted house?
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlng, straight
Body type
- average (woman)
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- white/grey
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn, straight
Body type
- very skinny (female)
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female Alien
- magical being
Age:
- long-lived adults
Profession/status:
- mage/magician
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- fire/thunder/weather cntrl
- telekinesis
- mind control
- can fly
- teleportation
Eccentric:
Yes
- emotionally unstable
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
- 40%
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century (1970's to Present)
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Misc settings
- mansion
Small town?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Tone of movie
- fearful
Any profanity?
- None
- Occasional swearing
Kinds of F/X
- exploding vehicles
Is this movie based on a
- book
